A 22-year-old Crown Heights man who allegedly ran over a school bus driver while she took photos of his vehicle has been arraigned at Brooklyn Supreme Court, charged with attempted murder, assault, leaving the scene of an incident and other charges.
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said Kymani Hardie intentionally ran over a school bus driver, causing serious injuries, before fleeing the scene.
The incident took place on April 30, 2021, near the corner of Linden Boulevard and Hinsdale Street in East New York, when Hardie, who was driving an Infinity sedan, was blocked by a yellow school bus that was empty except for the driver and was standing at a red light, according to the investigation.
He allegedly became enraged, exited his vehicle and banged on the bus, breaking two mirrors.
The bus driver, a 44-year-old woman, got out from inside the bus and started to record the defendant's car with her cell phone while standing on the median. The defendant then allegedly ran her over and continued to drive without stopping. The victim suffered a shattered pelvis, broken ribs, a lacerated liver and other injuries.
Video surveillance captured the incident and other videos showed Hardie, his hand bandaged and driving the same car, checked into a nearby hotel a short time later. DNA recovered from that Infinity and the bus mirror matched the defendant.
He was arrested on June 21, 2021.
"The alleged actions of this defendant are truly horrifying," Gonzalez said.
"He is accused of mowing down an innocent bus driver, striking her on purpose and in cold blood and then fleeing the scene. This type of senseless violence cannot be tolerated, and we will now seek to hold him fully accountable." Hardie has been charged with second-degree attempted murder, first- and second-degree assault, leaving the scene of an incident without reporting and related counts.
He is being held on $75,000 bond or $50,000 cash bail and was ordered to return to court on September 16, 2021. He faces a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison if convicted of the top count.
